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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556483">Team Avatar and the Communists</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ponyboy1023/pseuds/Ponyboy1023'>Ponyboy1023</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Communism, Gen, LS2020, Labor Unions, Non-Sexual</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24556483</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ponyboy1023/pseuds/Ponyboy1023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Is this a fanfic about Team Avatar unionizing a factory? Why yes, yes it is. Come for that sweet, sweet, leftist action we all need in an age of unfettered capitalism. Started as a joke, still a good read.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Team Avatar and the Communists</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Takes place after Book 2 and before The Day of Black Sun in Book 3.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After another long day of travel through the Fire Nation, Team Avatar crested a hill to find a curious sight. </p>
<p>“What’s that?” asked Sokka. In response, Aang looked down on the large building pouring smoke into the sky and the town around it. Though the town was large, it was dwarfed by its polluting centerpiece.</p>
<p>“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good.”</p>
<p>“Should we keep moving?” Katara asked, which immediately prompted Toph to respond:</p>
<p>“We’ve been traveling for days! We absolutely need to stop and get supplies before the invasion!”</p>
<p>“Toph’s right. Let’s go,” said Aang. And with that, Team Avatar began to walk down into town. Only Sokka had any more comments:</p>
<p>“Let’s get some fire flakes! I’m starving, and I’m really starting to come around to this Fire Nation food!”</p>
<p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Team Avatar immediately noticed a weird atmosphere, as the town is filled with an omnipresent fog, the air is harder to breathe, and the people seem uniformly worn out. Despite initial impressions, the group messed around and did typical Team Avatar hijinks in setting up a place to rest, with Sokka ordering extra spicy fire flakes and drinking from a fountain and Aang almost burning the hair covering his tattoos off when a mysterious jet of flame shoots up from a vent in the road. </p>
<p>“What the Flameo was that?” yelped Aang.</p>
<p>“Are you new here? Stay away from those vents! Those are exhaust ports from the factory, and sometimes they release a little flame,” said a Fire Nation passerby.</p>
<p>“The factory…?”</p>
<p>“Are you dense? The big building over there! Surely that’s why you new kids came; to find work in the factory?” Team Avatar exchanged some glances.</p>
<p>“Oh...right! Of course, the factory! Which builds...” said Katara.</p>
<p>“Weapons! By the Spirits you kids are dense. Maybe you shouldn’t work in the factory; you’re liable to get yourselves killed, or at least lose some fingers” replied the passerby, who walked away shaking his head. After some discussion, Toph interjected with:</p>
<p>“This could be a perfect distraction for the Fire Nation before The Day of Black Sun! Plus, if they don’t have as many weapons, we might stand more of a chance!”</p>
<p>They all came around to the plan to check it out tomorrow and crashed for the night in a run down hotel as soot fell on the town.</p>
<p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>In the morning, the four of them went into the factory in their Fire Nation clothes, intending to case the joint by asking for jobs. As they walked in, they were immediately confronted with the enormity of the factory itself; it was a huge building, with seemingly endless rows of workers manning what looked like incredibly dangerous machines. Gears spun wildly, and adults and children toiled in dark, cramped workspaces. It was a nightmarish sight, even for a Team Avatar that was growing accustomed to the Fire Nation being reliably evil. As they stood in their reverie, they heard a voice:</p>
<p>“Hey! You kids! Who are you? Are you the new kids looking for jobs I heard were drinking from the Main Street Fountain?”</p>
<p>Team Avatar turned to see a huge man of incredible girth, wearing a Monopoly-Man-esque outfit. </p>
<p>“Well come right in, come right in! I’ll get you set up!”</p>
<p>“Ummm...sir, what will we be doing?” asked Aang.</p>
<p>“Why, manning the assembly line, of course! Good luck, and remember, by signing these contracts, you are waiving us of any responsibility if you get injured and agreeing to come in every day from the ringing of the work bell at 8am to the end of day bell at 8pm! It’s time for my second lunch, bye now!” Within seconds, they were shooed outside by guards, and a foreman shoved them into places on an assembly line.</p>
<p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Walking home at the end of a grueling day, Team Avatar is exhausted.</p>
<p>“How can they all work twelve hours a day, seven days a week? That’s insane!” said Katara, and everyone agreed. As they did, a mysterious man approached.</p>
<p>“Listen, I know you’re new, but if you think the bossman treats us like dirt, come to our meeting tonight. We don’t have to put up with this.” With that, he handed Katara a ripped flyer and slipped into a back alley.</p>
<p>“What’s it say?” asked Sokka.</p>
<p>As Team Avatar crowded around, Katara read the flyer: “Workers of the Fire Nation, unite! The time has come to release ourselves from the shackles of poverty and claim a world of equality for the everyman! We must organize and wield our collective power, as the bourgeois is nothing without us! Meet us in the back of Sozin alley and knock three times on the door to be let in. Fire Nation Communists.”</p>
<p>The team looked at each other in surprise and knew exactly what they would be doing this evening.</p>
<p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>As they walked down the darkened alleyway, nervous energy was palpable in the air.</p>
<p>“Are we sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if we just get ourselves in even more trouble?” said Sokka.</p>
<p>“I’m the Avatar. I’m pretty sure that makes us Fire Nation’s Most Wanted anyway,” replied Aang, which was a sufficiently good point to silence discussion. Having arrived at the door, Aang knocked three times, and a sliding viewport on the door opened.</p>
<p>“You here for the Communist meeting?”</p>
<p>“Ummm...yup!”</p>
<p>“Welcome, comrades.” The door slid open to reveal a dimly lit room with some chairs and a podium. About thirty factory workers turned to watch them enter, and the man at the podium gestured welcomingly.</p>
<p>“Hello there, and welcome, young comrades. I am Tashi. Please, have a seat.”</p>
<p>They did, and they listened to him speak passionately on behalf of his fellow workers. He detailed the injustices that the factory lords imposed on the poor of the Fire Nation and how they worked in terribly dangerous conditions with no protection. They were being robbed of the value of their labor, as they were paid a pittance while the factory lords sat back and grew fat on their work. Finally, he implored them to bring more comrades into the fold, as only then would they be able to organize a meaningful strike. As they left, Tashi stopped them.</p>
<p>“Hi kids! I see you’re new here. Have some reading! I have to go attend to other matters, but I hope to see you again soon!” Walking home, they decided to hatch a plan.</p>
<p>“We can’t stay here for long, so we should start something soon,” Sokka whispered.</p>
<p>“That’s true. Plus, it seems like these people can’t take more than one more day of this anyway. Maybe if we just start something, people would follow, even if they haven’t heard Tashi speak!” said Katara.</p>
<p>“Yea! Plus, if it doesn’t work, I can use some metalbending to mess up their precious assembly line, and then we split!” added Toph.</p>
<p>“Alright, it’s settled. Tomorrow we instigate a strike. Maybe this will give Tashi’s group a boost too” said Aang.</p>
<p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Team Avatar went to their jobs the next day, and Aang almost fell asleep on the job.</p>
<p>“Aang! Stay awake, or you’re going to lose a finger in that machinery!” said Katara.</p>
<p>“Sorry! I stayed up reading all of Tashi’s material for today!”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s good, but stay alive until the midday bell!”</p>
<p>At that exact point, the bell rang, shrill and loud. Sighing, Aang looked Katara in the eye.</p>
<p>“It’s time.”</p>
<p>As the machinery whirred to a halt for their 15 minute lunch break, Aang stood up on the workstation and looked out over the workers, who were now all looking back at him. Suddenly overcome with nervousness, he scanned the crowd for a friendly face, eventually locking eyes with Tashi, who smiled warmly and mouthed, go for it. Aang took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“Workers, hear me now! There is a new disposition spreading among the poor peoples of this nation, can you feel it? It comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves from the glorified slavery the Fire Nation factory lords have put you in? Act now! Strike now! For your rights! For the rights of others! We will protect each other! Strike! Strike! Strike!”</p>
<p>The workers began to take up Aang’s chant, and as they followed him outside, Tashi’s Communists began organizing people like they had been born for it, handing out charcoal and boxes for signs and organizing a picket line. Team Avatar prepared to slip away, having successfully undermined a Fire Nation weapons factory, when Tashi appeared and put a hand on Aang’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“That was a good speech just now. I see you read the materials I gave you.”</p>
<p>“Yea, I did! And yea, I was inspired by someone I know.”</p>
<p>“I see you have your bags packed and ready; do you have to leave? We could use more speeches like that”</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, yes. We have other places to be, and I have other speeches to give, maybe.”</p>
<p>“Well, I wish you all luck, comrades.”</p>
<p>With that, Tashi began chanting with the crowd and rejoined the strike, and Team Avatar left town.</p>
<p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>“Great job team! We took out a Fire Nation factory, and we did it without doing any bending!” said Aang.</p>
<p>“Do we have to keep all of these pamphlets and books Tashi gave us? They’re so heavy,” asked Sokka.</p>
<p>“I certainly don’t care,” replied Toph.</p>
<p>“Well I haven’t finished them,” said Katara, “and I think if what’s in those books inspired a whole Fire Nation town to fight for themselves, then I think we might want them around.”</p>
<p>“I couldn’t agree more,” said Aang, and with that, they flew off on Appa, towards their next adventure.</p>
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